Alverthorpe

Updated 18 March 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 3 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Alverthorpe is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Alverthorpe is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was carried out on 9 March 2023 and 14 March 2023. The first day of inspection was unannounced, with inspectors arriving out of hours. The second day of inspection was announced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, and support workers. We carried out observations of care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 care records and a variety of medicines records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 18 March 2023

About the service

Alverthorpe is a residential care home providing personal care to people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. The home can accommodate up to 8 people, at the time of the inspection 7 people were living at the service. Each person was supported in their own personalised bedroom and bathroom areas, with communal spaces available, such as a lounge and dining area.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support

People were supported by enough suitably trained staff. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm. People were supported in a safe environment and risks to people were assessed and mitigated. Staff supported people to access the community for a range of activities. People and their relatives told us staff were kind.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Right Care

Care plans were person centred and provided staff with guidance about how people liked to be cared for. We observed staff offering choices to people and people were involved in how the service was decorated. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs and people were supported to become more independent. The service worked closely with external healthcare professionals, to ensure peoples health needs were met.

Right Culture

The service had an open, honest and positive culture. Staff told us they were supported by the management team. Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff to drive improvements. The registered manager and staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Regular audits were undertaken by the management team to promote quality and safety for people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 October 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to medicines, recording and leadership. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Alverthorpe on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.